Thursday, November 28, 2019
Organized Crime Has For Nearly One Hundred Years Held An Unseen Contro
Organized Crime has for nearly one hundred years held an unseen control over the United States. Running both illegal and legal businesses they have captivated the lives of the country. Here is an overview of the history of this power that knows everything and everyone that has power or wishes to rise to power. The beginning of organized crime goes back to the 13th century. The Mafia was formed in Sicily to help farmers from being terrorized by French and Spanish looters (Waller, p.16). It was not until the 19th century that the Mafia began to show up in cities like New York and New Orleans. By World War I, every major city had powerful local gangs, not necessarily a Mafia group. The Mafia's discipline held all of the gangs together. The Mafia had only two major objections dealing with crime. There was to be no drug dealers in the Mafia and prostitiution was not allowed. The cheif weapons of the Mafia were death threats and the code of omerta'(the code of silence). When omerta' was broken, the police cleaned up the mess while the rival gang took over. Prohibition brought the birth of organized crime to the United States. Prohibition was ratified on January 29, 1919 but didn't take hold until 1920 (Compton's,p.1). Prohibition, which was the 18th Amendment of the Constitution, made it illegal to buy, sell, or transport alcoholic beverages. It also opened a new market for illegal booze to those who would risk it. Prohibition also proved to be filled with murder and corruption. Men like Lucky Luciano, Dutch Schultz, Al Capone, Meyer Lansky, and Vito Genovese got started during this time. Prohibition began with the sale of foreign booze that was smuggled into the country. After several raids and many thousands of dollars lost, the mob turned to more producing of their own illegal alcohol. Bootlegged whiskey was known as "white lightning" (Waller,p.29). Illegal alcohol was sold two ways: you could put it in bottles or it was sent to the taverns in tin cans. The highly violent city of Chicago had been divided up into five different turf areas for bootleggers. This agreement would have worked out except that one major bootlegger was excluded from the deal. The O' Donnell brothers had controlled the southern most area of Chicago but had not been allowed to join the meeting. This group of brothers eventually met their match after many years of war. The city of Chicago had been split up between six gangs. It was an agreement over areas of control. The noth side of Chicago was divided between Al Capone and Dion O'Banion. O'Banion was to control the beer while Capone controlled the hard liquor. This eventually led to the death of O'Banion. The south side of the city was ran by the Genna family. The west side was controlled by the Valley Gang while the southwest side was ran by the Saltis-McErlane Gang. To the far south side the Ragen's Colts controlled the bootlegging industry (Waller,p.31). During this time, a new weapon came into play. The Thompson submachine gun, also known as the tommy gun or chopper, became a major factor in criminal activity. This machine gun also became known as the Chicago violin because of its heavy use in the city. It was a sad day for several organized gangs when Prohibition was repealed. On December 5, 1933 the 21st Amendment was passed making it legal to buy, sell, and transport alcoholic beverages. The fourteen years of Prohibition had made the mob and Mafia grow powerful and rich. One of the most famous mobsters of all time was Al Capone. Born Alphonse Capone in Brooklyn, New York, he was the son of immigrants from Naples, Italy (Waller, p.27). Although Capone was of Italian descent, he was never a member of the Mafia. As a teenager Al Capone was involved with crime. His first crime job was as a bouncer in a mob bar called Harvard Inn (Waller, p.27). In 1918, Capone married a woman of Irish background. Then in the early part of 1919, Al Capone moved to Chicago with John Torrio to work for Torrio's uncle. Once Capone got his bootlegging business running he came in contact with his first
Sunday, November 24, 2019
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind essays
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind essays Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind As an entertainment medium the feature film has advanced exponentially over the last 150 years .The advent of sound and later color have made the feature film an ever more immersing experience. Now the dawning of the era of digitalisation and seemingly endless possibilities in the realm of computer special effects complicate the auteurs struggle to produce a successful film. They must break through mediocrity to achieve critical and public acclaim. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is a successful film both critically praised and well received by the public although largely unnoticed in comparison to the mammoth of a Hollywood blockbuster. From what basis then shall one measure a film to be successful? Its merits as a piece of artistic expression or its popularity? Eternal Sunshine doesnt rely heavily on modern computer effects and rather opts to minimize computer usage in place of clever camera wizardry. Italian director Michel Gandrys vision involved the use of longer takes and an eccentric narrative straying from generic conventions. Joel and Clementines relationship is romantic film territory and the themes of memory and technology stock sci-fi staples. The appeal of most modern blockbusters lies in the overblown budget and photo-perfect special effects. A true example of style over substance, spectacle often distracts or takes prevalence to the quality of narrative. However with Eternal Sunshine Gondry holds the reigns of balance, managing to deliver a surrealistic cinematic delight while keeping his direction true to the requirements of the plot. Joel and Clementines relationship is still the focus of his movie and the dreamy world created by Joels memories doesnt diverge from but rather consolidates their fractured relationship through Joels interactions with Clem in his mind. His m...
Thursday, November 21, 2019
Belief in People and Team Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1
Belief in People and Team - Essay Example As a leader, one realizes that one has to focus on that common interest to make sure that the organization functioned effectively. As Dr. Bennis has pointed out in his writings, it is essential that the leader create a sense of mission (ASAE Foundation, 2004). That is exactly what one did to keep the organization to a good start. The group started out by defining the mission and vision statements. One had to make sure that everyone in the organization believed in the objectives that were set. One knew that as the leader of the group, one has to rally them towards the attainment of the goals. The next step was to engage and motivate the members (ASAE Foundation, 2004). The problem that one faced is how to motivate each one of them. One realized that to be able to motivate them it is essential that one gets acquainted with each individual and uncover what drives them into action. One has to recognize the strengths and weaknesses of each member to be able to assign them to jobs which wi ll put their talents and skills to their best use. This is a point which Dr. Bennis emphasized in his book, that is, a leader should determine the highest potential of each member (1994). One did this by letting each member fill out a questionnaire where they were asked their qualifications, interests, talents and hobbies. After going through the form, one got an idea which person may be appointed to do a certain duty. As a leader, one got to know his members better and identified the things that motivate them. Another unforgettable experience that one had about leading the organization was when one had to introduce changes in the previous system established by the past president. The past president required that each member report directly to him about the donations that were gathered for the projects of the group. One believed that the organization would function better if they were divided into groups which were
Wednesday, November 20, 2019
9.2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words
9.2 - Essay Example Apart from this lack of orderliness, other mistakes can be easily corrected and then the work written to make a more cohesive and coherent document. Such an action of rearrangement will entail subdividing the paper into sections with clear subheadings. The focus of this paper is on why need-based scholarships should replace merit-based scholarships. Although this should be a thesis based argument or paper, what appears to be the thesis is unfortunately found in the third paragraph. It claims that the need-based scholarships will increase access to education for students from low income and minority families which will eventually increase the gap between the rich and poor. Apart from the heading that gives a hint of what the paper is about, it is not until the third paragraph that one starts to get an idea of what the paper is talking about. There are no sections and what the paper does is to provide reasons that support the thesis without giving clear indications on what perspective the reasons are based. The subject matter of the paper has been explained thoroughly through supportive ideas but it has not been subdivided into sections. In terms of argument, the article has adopted argument by authority whereby it closely follows ideas of others although in many instances it fails to quote the originators of the ideas. Many of the arguments are well thought and logical which make the overall reasoning of the paper very strong. As such, there are no hasty generalizations and supporting ideas are well balanced and thought out. Generally, the introduction and conclusion have not been well done. The introduction lacks the thesis statement owing to the fact that the first paragraph is always considered the introductory paragraph where the thesis is usually located. On the part of the conclusion, there is no special technique applied and it should have summarized the main points of the paper besides re-stating the
Monday, November 18, 2019
Human Resource Management Skills Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words
Human Resource Management Skills - Essay Example Human resource management is a vital part of any organization. To be more effective, a human resource team needs to be experts in a number of important sections in an organization. That is, the HR department is responsible for diverse aspects of each employees career, starting with recruitment to hiring to various sections of their job while employed in a particular organization. An effective human resource department effectively executes the policies and procedures and thus ensuring that the employees in an organization are properly motivated. The study is going to view various skills and techniques that one will need to effectively lead the human resource department in an organization. In my research, I prefer that the operation of the human resource department be conducted in one central point to ensure that there is proper coordination of activities from one functional level to another (Martin, 2009). Despite the fact that human resource functions are broad, the management will e nsure that it adequately delegates duties and responsibilities to ensure that the department meets its set goals within the periods. In this study, I am going to major on various aspects in human resource department. For instance, the study will have to capture on the merits of carrying out human resource functions in one central point other than conducting it at a functional level. Moreover, the study will give a detailed explanation of various skills and techniques that a human resource manager, as well as the entire department, should have to run the organization more effectively (Lohman, 2002). I am going to discuss the skills of training and development skills, management skills, communication skills as well as discrete and ethical techniques that a human resource officer in an organization should have for effective operations. Moreover, the study will analyze the ability of HR department in policy formulation and implementation as well strategic planning skills and techniques.
Friday, November 15, 2019
Economic insight into the baby disposable diaper industry
Economic insight into the baby disposable diaper industry The disposable diaper, an invention that revolutionized the baby care industry exists today as a practical solution to the problem of dirty, smelly, wet baby bottoms throughout the world. The need for diapers has always existed. There are several documents from the past that refer to the use of milkweed leaf wraps, animal skins and other creative natural resources to serve the need, a far cry from todays disposable diapers [citation]. Proctor Gamble commercialized the disposable diaper business by introducing Pampers in the year 1961 [citation]. Since then, the industry has witnessed remarkable magnitude of development and one of the reasons disposable diapers are enjoying overwhelming popularity is due to the rising number of working mothers in the society [citation]. The volume of growth is also closely co-related to the level of birth-rate, and owing to its rising trend there lay great potential in the coming years [citation]. The baby disposable diaper industry is poised to take advantage of this growth and thereby to realise its potential this paper will try to highlight some of the key propositions for a keen investor so as to assist him/her gain a comprehensive overview of the market from the logistics perspective. To provide one with factual insights, the report has sketched a detailed schematic for the city of Dunedin (New Zealand) and tries to serve details of the current market scenario, potential and other practical considerations. However the report holds high level of generalisability and similar settings can later be applied to other regional markets. Please note that the estimations made are based on calculative judgements and are not totally accurate. Target Market The duration for which children may rely on diapers depends on how fast they pass their potty training. There is a high level of diversity across the globe, where Americans take the longest to learn, around 34 months [citation]. Babies in China and Russia probably are the best examples who learn in less than 20 months [citation]. The rest of the world is somewhere in the middle. A good estimate should be around 30 months, i.e. 2.5 years. Therefore, children within the age bracket 0-2.5 form the end consumers. However the purchase decisions are undertaken by the parents who form the target consumers. Market Potential The market potential of the disposable diaper market relies on the estimation of absolute demand. The first step towards this estimation is to calculate number for children lying within the age bracket of 0-2.5 years. The next census figures for New Zealand will be released in 2011, and using statistical data for the year 2006 would prove obsolete. However NZ Stats does provide with real time figures for the entire country. To derive recent figures for the required age group, proportionate increase in total population of New Zealand from the year 2006 to 2010 was calculated, which stood around 8.7% [citation]. This increase was then added to the 2006 census for Dunedin. From the total population of the city, number of children within the age of 2.5 years was 2.5% of the total population [citation]. This gave us a final figure of 3,225. The second step was to calculate the diaper consumption for each life stage and arriving to an average number of diapers used during the entire life o f the child. As per Absormex data index, a new born infant consumers around 6.82 diapers per day, whereas two year olds use 3.74 per day [citation]. Therefore at an average a baby consumes around 5.2 diapers per day. Thus the daily consumption is derived by multiplying the total number of babies with the average daily consumption. As consumption can be equated to the market demand, the absolute maximum demand for the city approximately stands around 16,770 diapers per day. The market potential is the maximum demand for the market, which assumes if all babies use disposable diapers. But this is certainly not the case. Thus one has to consider the market penetration to arrive to the actual demand potential. As per Richer Investment consultants, diaper purchase triggers at around $3,500 USD of Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) per year which equates to around $ 4,700 NZD [citation]. In Dunedin, 83% of the population earn an annual income of more than $ 5000 [citation]. Thus this gives us a demand potential of around 14,000 disposable diapers per day. Inventory Planning and Warehousing Owing to a long shelf life and high volume, inventory planning for disposable diapers can turn into a perplexing job. This is because both the characteristics contradict each other to arrive to an optimum stock. Technically, disposable diapers do not have an expiry date [citation]. But they do turn pale after the duration of eighteen months [citation]. Nonetheless, they still possess a comparatively longer shelf life than most of the FMCG products. Thereby the seller can gain an opportunity of lowering the cost by stocking large quantity of goods. However disposable diapers, owing to their fluffiness take up larger shelf space and stocking large inventory could be quite expensive. To answer this dilemma, one has to take into consideration the low value of the product and quicker technological innovations. In the inventory cost, the cost of storage remains flat regardless of the type of the product. In the case of diapers, a pack of forty four in New Zealand costs around $ 28, giving us a per unit price of 60 cents, which is quite high in comparison to the shelf space it takes up. Moreover, observing the technological trend in the diaper industry, a new innovation is introduced every three months. Therefore, storing goods more than three months would lead to stock obsolesce. Therefore one needs to carefully plan out the inventory considering all the above mentioned factors. Diapers are available in different sizes, and one has to also consider the proportions of different sizes to be held in the right quantity. Disposable diapers are available in 6 sizes, from 1 to 6. Small infant consumer size 1-2 and two year olds use size 5-6. The level of consumption for different sizes is indirectly correlated to the age of the children, i.e. small infants consume higher quantity of smaller sized diapers as compared to the bigger sized diapers consumed by two year olds. To estimate the proportion of different sizes to be stocked, we can make use of the Absormex consumption figures aforementioned. For medium sized diapers (size 3-4), we would assume that its consumption is equal to the average of the small and large sizes, i.e. 5.20 per day. Thus, the total inventory would be composed of 43%, 33% and 24% of sizes 1-2, 3-4, and 5-6 respectively. Distribution Channels Supermarkets and pharmacy shops are the two primary retail distribution channels for disposable diaper. Hospitals with maternity wards do serve as a secondary channel for catering the diaper needs for new born infants. Supermarkets Chains: Supermarkets are the most generic channel to reach the customers. As per Timmons survey, almost 41% of the total stock flows through supermarkets [citation]. In Dunedin there are 18 major supermarkets [citation]. Major concentration of these stores is observed around Dunedin Central and mainly across Roslyn, Saint Clair, Caversham, Port Chalmers and Mornington. Pharmacy Shops: Pharmaceutical outlets also serve as a channel for retail distribution, though not as important as supermarkets, owing to the lower frequency of customer visits and lower foot traffic. As per Timmons survey they contribute around 18% of the total sales [citation]. However, the clustering of pharmacy shops is identical to that observed for supermarkets aswell. Hospitals: Hospitals act as a tertiary distribution channel which caters the needs of the new born infants after their immediate birth. In Dunedin, there are 16 main hospitals, out of which 11 have maternity wards [citation]. However as they only cater the needs of infants hence would only require small sizes of 1-2. To estimate the number of diapers required by the hospitals, one has all the required figures. As per breathingearth.net, a baby is born every 8.9 minutes in New Zealand, which gives us a national figure of 162 births per day. The proportional birth rate for Dunedin comes to around 5 babies per day. These babies are held in the hospital for two days where they required 6.82 diaper changes per day. Thus a baby needs a diaper change every every 3.5 hours. Thus gives us a total consumption for hospital of around 35 diapers per day. Therefore the requirement is marginal as compared to the aforementioned distribution channels. Alternative Channels of Distribution A distribution channel can be feasible if is able to suffice the benefits with its costs. In the case of disposable diapers, the product holds absolute sense if one proposes to avail it via online channels. On the first place, the popularity of diapers is purely driven by the level of convenience it avails to the working parents for whom time is of essential value. Therefore, home delivery would enhance its level of convenience. Moreover, it is a functional product which does not require personal inspection before every purchase. However the channel would only be justified it is able to provide the product at least in par with retail prices or lower. These could be justified by the savings created after cut shorting the profits of the retailer along with other related costs for availing the product on retail shelves. Thus higher savings would enable feasibility of the channel from sellers perspective as well. Procurement and Distribution Globally centralised manufacturing centres serve benefits of reduction in costs through economies of scale, given that the high logistics and transportation costs are sufficed with the profit margins of the goods. In the case of disposable diapers, it is highly unlikely to support the structure for a centralised manufacturing plant owing to the low value and high volume of the product. Therefore diaper manufacturers maintain regional manufacturing units. For the region of Oceania, prominent enterprises such as Kimberley Clark and Proctor Gamble have their diaper manufacturing facilities primarily located in Australia, whereby the national distribution centres for New Zealand are situated in Auckland and Christchurch. Procurement from Christchurch via railway would prove feasible cost wise, unless if the national distributors agree to cover the road transportation costs, which is less likely. Proximity would lead to shorter transit duration, which in this case would be approximately 11 hours, eventually lowering the lead time. The losses related to out of stock situation for diaper brands are is reasonably high. It is highly likely that the consumer would pick up the competitors product due to the product high level of substitution. Moreover, the functionality of the product remains flat across different brands. Therefore in the case of several out of stock situation; the customer might eventually switch brands. The ultimate solution to this problem is to reduce the lead time by holding stock as close as possible to the retail channels. This would require holding distribution centres at district level. In Dunedin, majority of the retail outlets including hospitals are clustered around the Octagon, Great King St. North, St. Clair, and Mornington, which are situated in the Central, North, South and East portion of the city respectively. West portion of the city is scarcely populated, hence not taken into consideration. Taking into account the rent for holding a centralised distribution facility near the railway station, which falls into Dunedin CBD, it would be rather cheaper to hold three smaller centres across the north, south and east portions of the city. Northern and Central portions of the city hold approximately 40% of the total population [citation], whereas the rest of the population is more or less distributed equally around the Southern and Western portions of the city [citation]. As consumption is directly related to the volume of population, a comparatively larger the distribution centre can be held in North Dunedin (Great King St. North). As this centre would be closest to the Central portions of the city, it would suffice the needs for this portion as well. The other two centres can be held in Western and Southern zones of the district. Therefore proximity to remote distribution centres from the retail locations would serve cheaper transportation costs, shorter delivery and lead time. Stock Allocation and Replenishment Two aspects are to be considered for stock allocation, one is distributing to different channels and the second is geographical allocation. Both the aspects are dependent on the frequency of purchase. This again directly co-relates to the level of population. Considering the population of Dunedin, around 40% are concentrated in the Central and Northern portions of the city where as the rest is equally concentrated in the Western and Southern portions of the city. The Eastern portion of the city is not considered due to habitat scarcity. Therefore the stock would be allocated keeping into consideration the same proportion of the population residing at the different parts of the city. It is observed that parents of smaller infants are less price sensitive as compared to those of grown up babies [citation]. Therefore marking smaller size diapers at a slightly higher price wont bring would only affect the demand in a comparatively smaller correlation. Moreover a higher demand of the smaller size as compared to the larger one can further benefit the suppliers to buy in bulk and sell to the retailers. Therefore would serve cost benefits from purchase as well as sale. [Replenishment] Overcoming Demand Fluctuation The supply chain for disposable diapers can be a victim of the bullwhip effect, which can be caused by minimal information sharing between the channel members where irregular purchase patterns exist. Considering the actual market scenario; parents who buy disposable diapers already anticipate that their baby would require diapers in the coming weeks. Therefore they do not buy in single packs, but in multiples to save on large quantities. However, this can lead to apparent delay in subsequent purchase occasions. This is because they do not possess accurate consumption estimates and can lead to fluctuations in purchase patterns, eventually leading to increase in demand volatility. The supermarkets stores at which they buy these products order by the pallet size or even truck load, and again at varying frequencies. Moreover the wholesalers will also be ordering according to their own re-order level policies. The combined effect of all this could create volatile picture of demand by the time this distorted picture is received at the diaper factory. To overcome these inefficiencies the one has to make sure to ensure transparency between the retail channels and can strongly count on efficient consumer response. Instead of having to anticipate requirements on the basis of personal forecasts, it should be demand driven. For which the supplier has to rely on retailers sales figures rather than his own personal forecasts to place orders to the national suppliers. It can be made sure that one own figures also get passed on to the channel members closer to the manufacturers. This is to give out a clear demand picture to the manufacturer who can further utilize this for making efficient use of resources. Manufacturers efficiency highly impacts the profit margins, sales figures, and above all the very existence of channel members. Thus with the achievement of better use of production and transportation capacity, all the members in the supply chain can respond efficiently to demand fluctuations along with saving on working capital. Technological Considerations RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) has been a technological breakthrough in the field of logistics. It serves the seller with an array of information which him gain deep insights, far beyond the conventional bar code technology. The question is whether the diaper industry can make use of this technology to reap greater benefits. Considering the costs, a single tag costs around 10-15 cents (USD), which converts to around 20 cents in New Zealand Currency [citation]. Incorporating the technology does not support the cost and profit structure in case of disposable diapers. Moreover the cost of the tag is just around 65% of the total cost, whereas the rest is comprised of infrastructure to support the technology in the supply chain. Therefore would add up to a total cost of approximately 30 cents per unit which remains constant across all the packing sizes. Operating in thin profits, 30 cents would not support the profit margins nor would serve the benefits in the scarcely populated co untry of New Zealand. Conclusion Diapers were introduced in the 1960, since then they have undergone tremendous number of innovations. It might look simple, but its an technological achievement, where a single diaper of today has over 200 patents. On top of this, it keeps getting modified with superficial upgradations such as fasteners, size of the pads, colour patterns, and even liner material. But the core appeal of diapers is still its convenience. This is of utmost importance to todays working mothers. Made from non-degradable plastic, disposable diapers reduce the task of washing cloth diapers. Plastic is by far the most expensive component of disposable diapers. The higher shelf life is highly responsible for the durability of this plastic used in diapers, which is resistant to heat, weather and other environmental concerns. This is where the problem lies, they cannot be broken down by sunlight nor natural deterioration works for them, eventually turning it into a non-degradable waste. In todays highly environmental sensitive society, the unfriendliness of diapers towards the environment is creating a big issue towards its preference and sale. The whole structure might fall apart if this issue is taken seriously. However, major efforts have been undertaken to introduce molecular structures in the plastic paper used in diapers to cause it to disintegrate upon extended environmental elements. This development highly potent in changing the perception towards disposable diapers and how it is viewed by the consumers.
Wednesday, November 13, 2019
John Dewey Essay example -- American Philosopher Philosophy
John Dewey was one of the greatest minds in history. A philosopher, his concern was democracy and its ideals. A thinker about the problems in education. A prominent voice in America, commanding the admiration of those who agreed with his views, and respect for his mind even from those who did not. The man: John Dewey, an American philosopher. Deweyââ¬â¢s pedagogy was one with three distinctive traits: it was democratic in that it called for pluralism. It was a follower of the scientific method in that it was a systemic approach at solving problems and forming judgments, both practical and moral. It prized directed experience as an ongoing process of means as ends and ends as means. These three traits of Deweyââ¬â¢s philosophy are tied to all that he wrote and thought. Dewey felt that democracy was the ideal social structure, the one best suited to the needs and aims of all people; under no other political scheme was it possible for general citizens to have allowance and responsibility to grow individually and culturally. All other systems hindered personal and social growth in Deweyââ¬â¢s scheme. Any form of despotic state used fear to such an extent that it became one of the only factors that kept the state in union, and the other factors that would naturally cause people to work together in their social environments were perverted and wasted. ââ¬Å"Instead of operating on their own account they are reduced to mere servants of attaining pleasure and avoiding painâ⬠(DE, 84). The cultural paralysis was seen in the fact that ââ¬Å"there is no free play back and forth among the members of the social group. Stimulation and response are exceedingly one-sided.â⬠Both the rich and poor suffer: the poor in that they have little involvement in the courses taken in their lives; the rich in that their ââ¬Å"culture becomes sterileâ⬠(DE, 84). Dewey asserted that ââ¬Å"democracy has always been allied with humanism, with faith in the potentials of human natureâ⬠and that ââ¬Å"democracy means the belief that humanistic culture should prevail.â⬠He advised that democracy is not something that will necessarily happen if ââ¬Å"human nature is left to itself, when freed from external arbitrary restrictionâ⬠(FC, 97). Democracy, for Dewey, was a moral issue that required efforts born in democratic vision. Democracy was Deweyââ¬â¢s tool of progress. But Dewey also saw that democracy did not guarantee progress. The imper... ...nt. Otherwise facts gained only have the potential to gain meaning, and many facts will turn out to be disconnected, never finding their place in a personââ¬â¢s experience. Facts grow naturally out of meaningful experience, but meaningful experience which leads to more facts do not necessarily flow from facts. Dewey wrote that ââ¬Å"the tragic weakness of the present school is that it endeavors to prepare future members of the social order in a medium in which the conditions of the social spirit are eminently wantingâ⬠(SSCC, 15). The conditions wanting were democracy, rational judgment conducive of the scientific method, and a conception of experience that recognizes the continuous nature of ends as means of further action. What Dewey wanted was ideal, but it was not utopian. He knew that we should do better, that we could do better. The question was more whether there was a will to do better. References Dewey, John. 1944. Democracy and Education (DE). New York: The Free Press. Dewey, John. 1989. Freedom and Culture (FC). Buffalo: Prometheus Books. Dewey, John. 1964. The School and Society and The Child and the Curriculum (SSCC). Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.
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